Think you can actually hold out until dinner to eat these feathery soft buttery buns? Think again. For my post about the recipe, head over to Marcus Samuelsson's blog!
I know everyone is pretty gung ho about eating healthy meals right now and so, with a little goading from Janet, I thought it would be fun (and helpful!) for me to share my favorite healthy recipes of 2011, all of which I think would be great ways to kick off 2012! Let's jump in!
Chickpeas and Spinach with Honeyed Sweet Potatoes. This is the first Ottolenghi recipe I ever made...and is also my first Eat.Live.Be. post. It's one of those dishes that is SO simple, yet all of the flavors just click.
Back on Track Wheatberries and Chickpea Salad. This salad seems like it should be so boring...but it's not. And you'll find yourself craving it for lunch. Without warning.
Eggplant and Lentil Stew with Pomegranate Molasses. This stew is incredibly richly flavored. In a really good, can't stop eating it kind of way.
Rigatoni with Eggplant and Pine Nut Crunch. I know you're all freaking out at the inclusion of pasta in this round-up. But with eggplant, two bell peppers, lots of grape tomatoes and 28 oz of crushed tomatoes...I think this is worth it.
Savory Rhubarb and Chipotle Goat Cheese Pizza. This is one of my original recipes that I am most proud of, not only because it was featured on Oprah's website, but because it's seriously delicious. Tart, sweet, tangy, spicy...you might not want to use rhubarb in a traditional pie ever again.
African Sweet Potato Soup with Peanut Butter and Black Beans. Sweet potatoes. And peanut butter. In one place. Enough said.
Peppers Stuffed with Quinoa, Corn and Feta Cheese. I wasn't sure what to expect from this dish since these were my first stuffed peppers ever, but I absolutely fell in love with the sweet and tangy combination of fresh corn and feta.
Spelt Berries with Roasted Pepper Sauce. Though this is really a summery dish, with some good quality San Marzano or other canned tomatoes, it can definitely still be enjoyed and eaten to brighten up the winter months!
Pasta with Creamy Avocado Sauce. Once you make this, you'll never have any excuse to say you're too busy to cook a delicious healthy dinner ever again.
Star Anise-Glazed Tempeh with Stir-Fried Peppers. The sweet-salty glaze on that tempeh has a flavor so captivating that I'm still dreaming about it.
The River Cafe's Winter Minestrone. I was so unenthused by this soup when reading through the recipe...but was SO pleasantly surprised once I made it. It's basically Italian comfort in a bowl.
Garlic-Roasted Butternut Squash and Kale Wheatberry Salad with a Pomegranate Vinaigrette. Yeah. It does taste as good as it looks.
thanks for the reminders- I need to try that pizza!
ReplyDeleteAs I was looking through these, I was trying to figure out which is my favorite. I cannot decide! They all look awesome! So many great colors in all these healthy recipes too.
ReplyDeleteI have made a lot of your recipes...tons! But none were your favorites! I can only imagine how incredible your top picks are!
ReplyDeleteSo many delicious looking dishes ... so little room in my tummy.
ReplyDeleteJoanne, all of these recipes look amazing - but the colors in that tempeh razzle dazzle! I told you, if I could I would hire you as my personal chef! xo
ReplyDeleteI'm a sucker for kale, so that last dish speaks to me! Can I order a bowl, please? :-)
ReplyDeleteI've been looking for a good soft dinner roll for ages! Definitely bookmarking these recipes!
ReplyDeleteI think I should dedicate the next month to cooking only from your blog:-)
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year Joanne! What a great roundup of recipes with some gorgeous photography. Thank you for this yummy reminder of your delightful dishes.
ReplyDeleteHealthy? they look so DELISH!!! You defined the usual rule of healthy not being delish!! YUM.
ReplyDeleteEverything here is so stunning in color and just as gorgeous as can be. And, thanks for reminding me that I must have the Ottolenghi cookbook pronto! I love that chickpea dish.
ReplyDeleteThat spinach and chickpea dish looks unbelievably delicious!
ReplyDeleteThose rolls look wonderful, and perfect to go with a warming winter soup.
ReplyDeleteYou have quite a line up there! Amazing how good everyone looks. The Savory Rhubarb and Chipotle Goat Cheese Pizza sounds interesting!
ReplyDeleteGreat roundup - I see I few I need to make.
ReplyDeleteWow beautiful recipes! I love starting off the year all healthy, lets hope we can keep it up! Happy New Years Joanne!
ReplyDeleteThat's great you had a recipe posted on Marcus Samuelsson's blog...he's great! I can see why, your blog is fantastic!
ReplyDeleteAh bread, delicious bread. Those rolls look amazing!
ReplyDeleteI was just looking for more healthy recipes to try!
As someone who has really gotten into vegetarian cooking recently, I pretty much want ALL of these meals. I must try tempeh next!
ReplyDeletewonderful collection of recipes, very appropriate for January....
ReplyDeletethese rolls are calling my name, llove the idea of pepper in the dough
Hope you are having a great start of 2012!
So much good food!!! Seriously, that African sweet potato soup is at the top of my list of things I need to make.
ReplyDeleteI am trying to eat healthier and get more veggies in my diet, so this is a great roundup to turn to. And those rolls look gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteThese all look so tasty - I could eat food like this every day. I just wish my husband shared my tastes more!
ReplyDeleteI know this is going to come as a HUGE surprise to you, but I'm not a huge fan of eating healthy. Your recipes look pretty darn delicious though, so I might give it a whirl.
ReplyDeleteYour rolls look delicious and the rosemary and pepper sound like tasty additions.
ReplyDeleteThose rolls do look incredible and I would love to have one now for breakfast :)
ReplyDeleteWonderful line up of delicious and healthy meals!
Happy 2012 Joanne !
Happy new year, Joanne! These dishes look amazing, and I've already starred several. I especially can't wait for rhubarb season to make that awesome pizza.
ReplyDeleteooh, loved the avocado pesto pasta I made this summer, very similar... and i feel like i made that rhubarb pizza? love those rolls... although perhaps i'll pull together that chickpea/spinach dish first :)
ReplyDeleteWow! You had me at the dinner rolls!!! Everything looks so good - wish I were home right now so I can start cookin'!!
ReplyDeleteMarcus Samuelsson? Oprah! OMG! I follow you religiously for the better part of 2010 - miss most of 2011 (but am back) and cannot believe your new connections! Kudos to you! Your writing should have been noticed long ago - and these recipes are screaming "MAKE ME!" I can't eat meat anymore and really hadn't noticed your healthy recipes were completely vegetarian until today. The African Stew looks delicious - well, they all do. This page was an great idea. Excellent resource. Dara, from the Cookin' Canuk just posted a list of Healthy Recipes for the New Year, too! Some really good ones, if you don't follow her.
ReplyDelete:)
Valerie
i need to start a 'remember to make list' like remember to make your creamy avacado sauce!
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year Joanne, love the dishes...tasty and healthy..I always like how you mix and match ingredients.
ReplyDeleteHope you are having a lovely week :-)
These healthy dishes all look great, and so do the rolls! I really have to try the sweet potato and black bean soup. Looks fantastic!
ReplyDeletewhat a colorful batch of dishes! the rolls are great too--pepper! awesome touch!
ReplyDeleteGreat roundup! Everything looks so good, now I'm hungry, really hungry.
ReplyDeleteAwesome roundup. All the healthy recipes in a click. Wishing you and family a happy and prosperous New year.
ReplyDeleteWhat a colourful and delicious roundup. Makes me hungry :-)
ReplyDeleteHave a happy 2012 :-)
All look amazing Joanne, lovethe rolls, Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteI want everything, darling, absolutely everything. :-) I've just added lentils and eggplant to my grocery list so I can make that scrumptious stew this week. :-)
ReplyDeleteOMG I want that pizza so bad!
ReplyDeleteYeah, yeah, yeah!! Love your pics... it reminds me which recipes I had already bookmarked but not yet made. ;) Here's to a healthy 2012! :)
ReplyDeleteI wish I could dip my fork into each one! I'd be a happy camper.
ReplyDeleteI would have the hardest time figuring out which recipe would be my favorite. They all look amazing and I'm left to wonder why I continue to eat meat. So unnecessary!
ReplyDeleteI never realized you posted exclusively meatless dishes... that's how excellent you are at them! These look so full and rich and satisfying, not to mention GORGEOUS! I am so glad I stumbled upon your blog this year, it's one of my new faves :) I hope this year is just as adventurously culinary as the last!
ReplyDeleteSo. Some of your favorite things include chickpeas, goat cheese, and sweet potatoes.
ReplyDeleteWe are friends.
Damn, Joanne, you have great looking buns! Errr...ummm....rolls. ha ha
ReplyDeleteSeriously though, I love good dinner rolls, they make a plate of food into "a meal".
I must have missed that African sweet potato soup the first time around - I will have to try that soon! I love seeing all these healthy recipes in one place; after some serious indulging these past few weeks, it's nice to have a reminder that healthy, natural food is still there, just waiting to be made!
ReplyDeleteYum, they all look so good! Happy New Year! :)
ReplyDeleteThose rolls look wonderful, but what I am really drooling over is that pasta with the creamy avocado sauce. MMMMM!
ReplyDeleteWow, Joanne, these look awesome. Thanks for sharing your top healthy recipes. Great idea. I always find some interesting stuff here. Now off to click on the rolls and the avocado pasta sauce. We have three new avocado trees planted, so I'm hoping for a windfall one of these years :)
ReplyDeleteThe dinner rolls have me drooling and so do the rest of the tasty & healthy dishes. Happy New Year my friend!
ReplyDeleteWonderful rolls and the featured recipes all look awesome! Thanks for sharing them with us...
ReplyDeleteI so have that pb stew bookmarked!! It looks delicious and so do all your other picks. Which one to make....definitely a tough choice. Happy new year to you!!!
ReplyDeleteALL of that food looks amazing!!! Miriam@Meatless Meals For Meat Eaters
ReplyDeletetotally bookmarking this page as I am trying to eat more fresh and healthy meals!
ReplyDeletesuch great colors in those dishes make them irresistable. Thanks for some healthly cooking!!!
ReplyDeleteThis is an excellent list of recipes! Got to try them out.
ReplyDeleteNice round up, Joanne. I had forgotten about some of these...I wanted to make the rigatoni. The rolls look incredible. My little guy loves bread. If I wanted these with dinner, you're right. I would have to hide them.
ReplyDeleteYou have so many good recipes...I don't know how you were able to pick just 12 :-)
ReplyDeleteIf there's any problem with me reading your blog, it's that I just want to make all your recipes rather than my own new ones. And then my blog would be very empty, or a mirror image of yours. But, I will be making some of these soon anyway :)
ReplyDeleteThose rosemary rolls look GREAT! Recently, I've been cooking everything with rosemary in it (it goes great in pretty much everything). I don't know if you've ever been to Macaroni Grill and tried this bread before, but you should give it a shot: http://www.food.com/recipe/romanos-macaroni-grill-rosemary-bread-64446
ReplyDeleteIt's SUPER easy, but tastes amazing. I've made it more times than I can count now, and it's always a hit with everyone who tries it.
Joanne, This is an awesome list and I can think of some other recipes that belong here. Happy New Year.
ReplyDeleteNow all I want for dinner is bread....wait again, now all I want for dinner is ANYTHING you'll make for me! Thank you for sharing yet another delectable post. I'm exhausted after my first day back from vacation, but happy to be reading your words and seeing your eats! I hope you are doing well, my friend.
ReplyDeleteJoanne no wonder these are your favorites, making me hungry just looking at them. Can't wait to see what you cook up in 2012.
ReplyDeleteMy DIL just recently started cooking vegetarian and I've sent her to your blog for some great ideas. What makes this really great is that she cooks dinner for us on a regular basis. Win! :)
ReplyDeleteI want every single one of those!!
ReplyDeleteWow, everything looks so good! Love your roundup of healthy recipes and can't wait to see what you make in 2012. Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteYou had some incredibly delicious and healthy-looking dishes come out of your kitchen this year. Very impressive. ;-)
ReplyDeleteGlad you decided to post this healthy recipe roundup. :) So many delicious dishes.
ReplyDelete